Donna S. Collins Hired as Ohio Arts Council Executive Director
by OAC Staff

The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) board has chosen Donna S. Collins (pictured, right), of Glenford, OH as the new OAC executive director. Collins, who has served as executive director of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) since 1998 and as executive director of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts and Foundation (OCA) since 2001, will succeed current OAC executive director Julie S. Henahan, who is retiring in July 2014 after 30 years of service to the agency.

"The council has had the pleasure of working with Donna in her roles as executive director of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education," said OAC board chair Jeff Rich. "Donna ran these two major statewide arts advocacy and arts education organizations which have been recognized nationally for their success at increasing services to constituents and generating more funds for the arts. Her successes and accomplishments are consistently used by others as examples of how to manage, plan and implement great arts and education programming."

Rich added, "Ohio is blessed to have such an incredibly hard working, dedicated leader in Donna Collins. We at the council know she will move us to the next level of success for all Ohioans."

Collins brings more 20 years of experience in leading statewide non-profit organizations with consistent success and proven results impacting policy, education, economic development, and arts and culture, to her new role at the OAC.

"I'm overjoyed with the wonderful opportunity the council has given me," Collins said of her hiring. "It is an honor to follow Julie Henahan, such a hardworking professional, who has led the agency so well on behalf of arts and culture in Ohio."

A proven leader in the field of arts education and arts advocacy, Collins has worked with the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) on the Network Leadership Committee and as a consultant to state Alliances across the nation. Collins serves as an Americans for the Arts State Captain and is a State Arts Action Network member. In addition, Collins serves as a liaison to trustees and the board of directors of the Ohio Music Education Association and Ohio Art Education Association. She is a member of BalletMet's education and advocacy committees, an advisor to the Athens Area Citizens for the Arts, and on the steering committee of the Cultural Data Project/Ohio.

"Leaders like Donna have character traits such as honesty, commitment, confidence and respect for others," wrote Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, in a support letter submitted with Collins' job application, "along with a sense of curiosity and vision that allows them to see the possibilities within current and future operating and political landscapes."

Over the years, Collins and the OCA have partnered with the OAC in planning the annual Arts Day and Governor's Awards for the Arts in Ohio, which brings hundreds of Ohioans to the capital to actively advocate for the arts and arts education. Prior to working at OAAE and OCA, Collins served on the staff of the Ohio PTA, where she worked at local, state, and national levels in the areas of membership, arts education, board governance and professional development.

Collins has received the Distinguished Fellow & Arts Administration Award by the Ohio Art Education Association; VSA Ohio's Fran Bay Award; Executive Director recognition from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network in 2003, 2008 and 2011; and induction into the Ohio Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame.

Former Ohio Senator Joy Padgett (R-20th district), wrote in a support letter on Collins' behalf, "I have no doubt that Donna's experience, proven abilities and dedication can effortlessly transition her to the position of executive director of the Ohio Arts Council. I know the council would benefit tremendously with Donna as their creative leader."

Collins studied education at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH and child development and communications at the Columbus Technical Institute in Columbus, OH.

About the Ohio Arts Council:
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.

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